Sagàs
Encyclopedia
Sagàs is a small town and municipality located in Catalonia
, in the comarca of Berguedà
. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees
.
It seems Sagàs has always been a farming town, with little strategic importance, although a small castle (about three metres by six metres at the base) was built there between the tenth and twelfth centuries.
To raise money for the restoration of the church, the "Caminada Popular de Sagas" was organized. This was a hike through the spectacular countryside that makes up this town. The Caminada was an annual event for 11 years. However, in 1994, wildfires ravaged the town, destroying much of its characteristic forest . The Caminada has not been held since. But since that time, the town has slowly recovered its natural beauty.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, in the comarca of Berguedà
Berguedà
Berguedà is a comarca in the interior of Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and partly in Catalonia's Depressió Central.-Geography:...
. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.
Population
Sagàs is essentially a collection of farmhouses separated by low wooded ridges and cultivated fields. The municipality is made up of what were once five separate villages: Sagàs, El Carrer de Bonaire, Biure de Berguedà, La Guàrdia de Sagàs, and Valloriola. Traditionally, the people of Sagàs made their living from agriculture. While this is still true for most of the inhabitants of Sagàs, the increased mechanization of farming has led to a growth in rural tourism, as well as a drop in population—the town has a growth rate of negative 10.4 percent .Main sights
- Church of Sant Andreu (Saint Andrew). This structure has origins in a church dedicated to Saint Andrew from the 11th century. It is in the pre-Romanesque style. It has a floorplan similar to that of a basilica, with three naves, each crowned separately by a semi-circular apse. The church was heavily modified in the 15th century, with major interior changes as well as the addition of the present bell-tower. The altar is also famous. Beginning in 1970, a number of locals started a movement to restore the church to its original 11th century appearance. It stands today restored.
- Church of Sant Esteve de Valldoria
- Church of Santa Margarida de SagàsSanta Margarida de SagàsSanta Margarida de Sagàs is an abandoned rural chapel in the town of Sagàs, Catalonia, dating at least from the 10th century.-Location:Santa Margarida is located on a wooded hillside bordered by cultivated fields in the rural municipality of Sagàs, Catalonia...
(abandoned) - Chapel of Sant Jordi, a small chapel dedicated to Saint George
- Church of Sant Martí de BiureSant Martí de BiureSant Martí de Biure is a tenth century Romanesque church located in the municipality of Sagàs, Catalonia, northern Spain.-History:The church was built sometime around the turn of the tenth century by the inhabitants of the town of Biure, then called Benevivere, who had recently come to the area as...
- Church of Santa Maria de la Guàrdia, and its famous statue of the Virgin Mary.
- Ruins of the Tower of Sagàs, a small fortress from the 5th century
- Further up the road is Sant Pere de la Portellà, another church which also has a cloister and other structures attached.
Early history
The oldest existing record of Sagàs is a document from 903, describing the consagration of the Church of Sant Andreu by the Bishop of Urgell at the request of the locals, who built the church, and a priest named Galindó. The church is described as being "in territorio Bergitanensi in locum vocitatum Sagasse" (In Bergan territory, at a place called Sagasse). The current church of Sant Andreu was built somewhat later, on the same site as the original church. Little remains of the original structure, but thirteen graves, the remnants of the original church's cemetery, have been unearthed inside the nave of the current church.It seems Sagàs has always been a farming town, with little strategic importance, although a small castle (about three metres by six metres at the base) was built there between the tenth and twelfth centuries.
To raise money for the restoration of the church, the "Caminada Popular de Sagas" was organized. This was a hike through the spectacular countryside that makes up this town. The Caminada was an annual event for 11 years. However, in 1994, wildfires ravaged the town, destroying much of its characteristic forest . The Caminada has not been held since. But since that time, the town has slowly recovered its natural beauty.